Mushroom and Walnut Bolognese

🥘 Ingredients

• basil leaves
  1/2 c
• bay leaves
  2
• button or cremini mushrooms
  1 lb
• carrot
  1
• celery
  1 rib
• crushed or pureed tomatoes
  1 14-oz can
• durum wheat spaghetti pasta
  1 box
• garlic
  4 cloves
• liquid aminos or fish sauce
  1 tsp
• nutritional yeast or pecorino
  1 Tbsp
• olive oil
  2 Tbsp
• onion
  1 medium
• oregano
  1 tsp
• red pepper flakes
  1/2 tsp
• red wine
  1/2 c
• salt
  1 tsp
• thyme
  1/2 tsp
• unsweetened soy milk
  1/2 c
• walnuts
  1/2 c

1. 1

   In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the button or cremini mushrooms and stir well; saute until they give up their liquid and begin to brown a bit, about ⏱️ 10 minutes . Add the diced onion , peeled and diced carrot , diced celery , chopped garlic , red pepper flakes , oregano , thyme , bay leaves , finely chopped walnuts , and salt , and stir well to combine. Continue sauteing until the vegetables soften and begin to color, another ⏱️ 10 minutes or so.

   olive oil: 2 Tbsp, button or cremini mushrooms: 1 lb, onion: 1 medium, carrot: 1, celery: 1 rib, garlic: 4 cloves, red pepper flakes: 1/2 tsp, oregano: 1 tsp, thyme: 1/2 tsp, bay leaves: 2, walnuts: 1/2 c, salt: 1 tsp
2. 2

   Add the red wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Then add the crushed or pureed tomatoes , liquid aminos or fish sauce , and unsweetened soy milk , and stir well. Lower the heat to a bare simmer and let the sauce cook, stirring occasionally to be sure it isn't sticking, for an hour. If the sauce starts to stick, add 1/4 cup of water and stir well. Let it continue simmering for a least another ⏱️ 40 minutes or up to 4 hours for deeper flavors. Remove the bay leaves.

   red wine: 1/2 c, crushed or pureed tomatoes: 1 14-oz can, liquid aminos or fish sauce: 1 tsp, unsweetened soy milk: 1/2 c
3. 3

   Add the durum wheat spaghetti pasta to the pot and stir well. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and the nutritional yeast or pecorino , stir again, and add a ladle of pasta water if the sauce needs to be thinned out.

   durum wheat spaghetti pasta: 1 box, nutritional yeast or pecorino: 1 Tbsp
4. 4

   Serve immediately, topping each mound of pasta with a little extra sauce from the pot, the torn basil leaves , and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast or pecorino if desired.

   basil leaves: 1/2 c